


Night Shift

by inkflight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-12 00:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9048817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkflight/pseuds/inkflight
Summary: Lila is visited in the night by her nemesis, who offers her a second chance to be a hero. Written for Lilanette Week.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lilanette Week day 1: Holidays.

Marinette stood outside the mansion doors, with Alya at her right, her mother at her left, and countless friends and family around her. The cold was bitter, the snow showed no sign of stopping, and the time was well past midnight, but everybody stood calmly and silently in anticipation. Marinette could hear the breathing of the people around her, and could see her own breath rising above her in the cold.

The door swung open, held by a woman with dark hair, and Adrien and his father stood behind.

“Please, Father,” Adrien pled, “show some Christmas spirit!”

“Very well,” Adrien’s father replied, and turned to address the assembled crowd outside. “Come in.”

Nino was the quickest, running forward to embrace his friend. Marinette followed, with Alya at her side, both filled with warmth and cheer as they saw their friend safe at home.

And before long, all were seated around a long table, laughing together and exchanging good wishes as they ate a magnificent feast. Everything was good, and love was all around.

 

Lila set down her book and walked across her small apartment to remove a box from the freezer. Fumbling with the packaging, she pulled out a plastic dish and placed it in the microwave, peeling off the clear plastic cover before closing the door. She fished the cardboard box out of the trash to confirm the cooking time, and punched in four minutes and thirty seconds.

Absentmindedly, Lila drummed her fingers on the counter as she watched the dish slowly spin around and around in the small lit chamber. As the timer hit zero, the microwave beeped, and the display switched to show the time. Lila was surprised to see that it was already after midnight as she reached to pull out the dish.

Lila sat back down in the only chair in her apartment, and set the plastic dish on her lap while she picked up a book from the small table at her right. She read chapter after chapter as she ate her food, and at one point grumbled as a drop of red sauce spilled onto the pages. Eventually, she sighed, closed the book, turned out the lamp, and climbed into bed.

 

“Hey Alya,” Nino called across the table, “did Marinette ever tell you about that one time at the Louvre?”

“Aww, come on, don’t tell her about that!” Marinette complained.

Alya laughed. “Knowing you, Marinette, I’m sure it won’t be unprecedented.”

“It was totally nuts, dude!” Nino began. “It was a couple years ago, and we were all on a class trip. Anyway, there’s this Rembrandt exhibit that Nathaniel really wants to see, and he convinces Ms. Bustier to take us there. But it’s just past that room with the Mona Lisa. You know how crowded it always gets there, right? All those tourists who don’t know any better, packed in like a box of crayons.”

“I think I see where this is going,” Alya commented, as Marinette blushed and hid her face in her hands.

“Anyway, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to make it past the crowd. So then Marinette gets the idea that if we hold hands and make an arrow formation, we’ll be able to part the crowd ahead of us. Chloé and Sabrina go on by themselves, but the rest of us decide to follow Marinette’s idea, and we all hold hands and make a Vee formation, and Marinette’s in front, trying to part the crowd in front of her. So anyway, we’re going through the crowd, right? And then Marinette trips over somebody’s foot and falls backwards on Nathaniel and me, and we all fall over like a row of dominoes.”

Alya snorted with laughter and Adrien let out a small chuckle. Marinette slowly sank lower and lower in her chair.

“And it gets better! As we fall, this person with a shoulder bag trips on Marinette’s leg and an entire sandwich spills out of the bag, with mayonnaise and everything, and it lands on Marinette’s face! You shoulda seen it, dude, it was sick!”

“Did you really have to mention the sandwich?” Marinette said with a small voice from under the table.

“And then when she tried to get up, she elbowed Nathaniel right in the eye. The poor guy never saw it coming!”

Laughing along with Nino and Adrien, Alya reassuringly put her hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.”

Marinette tentatively chuckled along with her friends as she sat back up. “I’d forgotten that part about Nathaniel.”

“Say, where is Nathaniel?” Alya wondered out loud. “Why isn’t he here?”

“His family’s Jewish, right?” Nino responded. “So he doesn’t celebrate Christmas.”

“But still, I’d think he’d be here for Adrien,” Alya insisted. “Maybe he’s out of town?”

“He’s got a cold, actually,” Rose added from down the table. “He texted me about it; he’s been sick in bed for a few days.”

“Aw, that’s really sad,” Alya sighed. “We really should go visit him and cheer him up sometime.”

“Hey, where are Ivan and Mylène?” Marinette asked. “Do they not celebrate Christmas either? I don’t think I’ve ever seen either of them at a Christmas party.”

“I don’t know about celebrating Christmas, but Ivan always travels with his family over winter break,” Rose replied. “Mylène went with them this year. I think they went to Japan.”

“Korea, not Japan,” Nino corrected. “I heard them talking about it a while back.”

“That’s everybody, though, right?” Alya wondered. “I don’t think we’re forgetting anyone.”

“See, Adrien?” Nino said cheerfully, lightly elbowing his friend in the ribs. “We’ve all got your back, dude.”

Adrien beamed. “Thank you all so much, it means the world to me.”

“Of course,” Alya said with a grin. “Merry Christmas, Adrien.”

 

The orange streetlamp outside Lila’s window was flickering irregularly. Lila watched carefully from under her sheets, trying to spot a pattern as the light flickered on and off. Three short flashes, then a long pause, then a long flash followed by a short one, then—no, it broke the pattern.

Resignedly, Lila tossed the sheets to the side and got up, aware that it would be a long time before she could get to sleep. Turning on the light and pulling out her flute, she began practicing a short solo, making sure to stay quiet so as to not wake up the neighbors. After playing through the solo three times, she absentmindedly improvised a slow melody, imagining that she was a soloist accompanied by a full orchestra, with a full audience of enthralled concert-goers that all came to hear her play her own composition.

After a few minutes, she put the flute down, and briefly pondered whether to write out the melody, eventually deciding against it.

It was then that Lila realized it was Christmas. She’d never celebrated Christmas herself, or really any holiday for that matter. She was far from being religious, and like her parents, she saw no reason to partake in what in her opinion amounted to just another solar festival. Lila did sometimes wonder what that sort of celebration would be like—being together with friends and family, united in the spirit of celebration. It sounded good on paper, but Lila suspected it would always end up being trite and contrived.

For what felt like the millionth time, Lila briefly wondered what she would do if she had her own mobile phone. Perhaps she would text somebody; on nights like this it would always be nice to have somebody to talk to. She immediately scoffed at the thought: everybody would be sleeping by now, and besides, nobody would want to talk to her. Not after she was humiliated by Ladybug and was exposed to all of Paris as a fraud and a liar.

Lila sighed, opened her laptop, pulled up a blank document, and began to write.

 

“Say, who is that Santa?” Alya asked, glancing toward the red-suited man at the other end of the table.

“Oh, I ran into him on the way home,” Adrien explained. “He was all alone, and I thought he could use some company.”

“I see, you felt you couldn’t just stand by and leave him all on his own,” Alya finished.

“I know what that feeling’s like,” Marinette said quietly, as she gently prodded her mashed potatoes with a fork.

“What did you say?” Alya asked.

Marinette shook her head. “Nothing. Sorry.”

“Well, he’s a cool dude, that Santa,” Nino added. “He showed me a magic trick where he put a chocolate coin in his pocket and then it ended up in my pocket. And he even let me eat the coin!”

“I know how that trick’s done,” Alya commented.

“Well, don’t spoil it for me!” Nino retorted. “Say, Marinette, are you all right?”

Marinette’s head jerked and she looked over at Nino. “Oh, yes, sorry. I was just zoning out for a bit.”

“You must be tired,” Marinette’s mother commented from further down the table. “We should probably be heading home, since we have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Marinette nodded. “Goodnight everyone, and merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Marinette!” Alya replied. “See you tomorrow!”

“Have a safe trip home,” Nino added.

Adrien smiled and waved as Marinette and her family left the room.

 

Lila looked up to see a spotted red figure standing on her balcony, just past the glass door.

“I hope I’m imagining this,” Lila declared as she walked toward the visitor.

“Then I’m afraid I have to disappoint you,” Ladybug curtly replied.

“As if that’ll be new and different,” Lila shot back. “Get out of here or I’ll call the police.”

“You wouldn’t pull poor Officer Roger away from his family on Christmas, would you?”

“Officer who? Look, I’m not playing here, Ladybug. I don’t care if it’s Christmas or not, I’ll call the cops on you so fast you won’t even have time to use that stupid charm of yours.”

“Go ahead, call them. Let’s see if they believe the word of a liar more than that of their hero.”

Lila huffed and folded her arms. “All right, then talk. Why are you here?”

“I’m here to offer you an opportunity,” Ladybug began to explain.

Lila laughed sharply. “What, are you serious right now? Is it the opportunity to have never met you? Because I’d take that one in a heartbeat.”

Ladybug sighed, her breath fogging up the glass. “May I come in?”

“Absolutely not,” Lila replied, keeping her arms crossed.

“Please? It’s cold out here,” Ladybug tried.

Lila pulled a string and the blinds fell, covering the window.

“I brought you a Christmas gift,” Ladybug’s voice said through the blind.

“I couldn’t care less about Christmas.”

“Then it’s just a gift. For you.”

“Go away!” Lila shouted. “Get out of here, get out of my life!”

“I gave you a second chance,” Ladybug said quietly. “I was hoping you’d return the favor.”

Lila stood still and silent for a few seconds. “I’m going to regret this,” she eventually said, and opened the door.

Ladybug stepped in, shivering slightly. “Thank you, Lila,” she said with a smile. She took a look around the room. “So this is where you live.”

“How did you even find me?” Lila asked.

Ladybug held up her yoyo. “I’ve got access to a full database of everybody who lives in Paris. It’s useful for tracking down villains.”

“That’s incredibly creepy,” Lila said with wide eyes. “How is it even legal for you to have that?”

Ladybug looked into the other room. “Just two rooms. You live alone?”

“Well, yes. I think that should be pretty obvious given the general tidiness of the apartment and the absence of a second bed.”

“Where are your parents?”

Lila rolled her eyes. “Not here. Obviously.”

“You shouldn’t have to live alone like this. Especially over the holidays.”

“I don’t care about holidays. And right now, I think solitude sounds pretty appealing.”

Ladybug glanced at a large box on the balcony, wrapped in red paper. “Oh, I forgot to bring it in!” she realized, and pulled the box through the door, leaving it in the middle of the floor.

Lila stared at the box with one eyebrow raised. “What is it?”

“An opportunity,” Ladybug replied. “You said it yourself that you were cut out to be a hero. I’m offering to make that dream a reality.”

Lila slowly pulled back the paper, exposing a cardboard box. “I don’t believe in heroes.”

“An odd sentiment coming from somebody who aspired to become one.”

“Well, it was you who said that would never be possible for me,” Lila pointed out, peeling back the tape around the box.

“Then prove me wrong,” Ladybug replied as the box fell open.

As Lila looked into the box, she saw a mass of folded orange fabric, with some layers of black and white. As she reached in, she felt something more firm. Pulling out her hand, she found a carefully sculpted orange mask with a black edge.

“What is this?” Lila asked, a look of bewilderment on her face.

“I made it for you,” Ladybug replied quietly. “Come with me, and you can redeem the name of Volpina, and you can become a true hero for the people of Paris.”

“Is this a joke?” Lila asked, standing up while holding onto the mask. “I’m not a hero. I don’t have any powers. I’m not capable of fighting villains.”

A small smile spread across Ladybug’s face. “You’ve got a lot to learn about what it means to be a hero. Now put that on, we need to get going.”

“And what makes you think that I’ll come with you?”

“Because while you may be many things, you’re not somebody who’ll back down from an adventure.”

Lila raised one eyebrow. “An adventure? With my nemesis?”

“Sure, that works,” Ladybug replied. “Now put on your costume and I’ll meet you outside.”

With a quick flourish, Ladybug turned and leaped out the window.

Lila watched Ladybug leave, sighed heavily, and put on the mask. Against all odds, she’d failed to be the one in control of the situation. It was a new experience for her…it was unnerving, and somewhat thrilling.

And Lila left the apartment, turning off the lamp behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Lila pay a visit to the Sainte-Chapelle Refugee Center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lilanette Week day 2: Cooking/Baking.

“You only wore the mask?” Ladybug asked as she and Lila walked down the sidewalk.

Lila nodded. “The rest of it didn’t fit.”

Ladybug looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry. I thought I judged it right.”

“Well, you thought wrong. So what’s the plan?”

Ladybug checked the screen on her yoyo. “First, we’re going to the Sainte-Chapelle Refugee Center. Depending on how long that takes, we may or may not be able to do anything else.”

Lila frowned. “What sort of supervillain would be at a refugee center?”

“Hopefully none. I don’t have time in my schedule for any supervillains tonight.”

“Then what exactly are we going to be doing?”

“We’re going to be helping people. That’s what heroes are for, right?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Lila said, narrowing her eyebrows. “Your job is to fight villains and to prevent Hawkmoth from taking over.”

Ladybug shrugged. “That’s my day job, I guess. But there’s a reason why I’m described as a hero by night. Fighting villains gets good press, but it’s only a fraction of what I do. And the stuff I really care about is all on the night shift.”

“So what are we going to be doing, then?”

“Hundreds of people are living at the Sainte-Chapelle center. And for many of them, they’ve fled their homes and now have to spend Christmas in a strange new country where they don’t have any homes of their own, or any friends or family to support them. It only makes sense that the center should provide a Christmas celebration for them. But it takes countless dedicated volunteers in order to keep the center running, and many of them are away for the holidays. So the center needs help preparing for the celebration tomorrow, and that’s where we come in.”

“Really?” Lila said snidely. “Your idea of being a hero is setting up a Christmas party for a few refugees?”

Ladybug glanced over at Lila. “Yeah, it is.”

Lila sighed. “Fine. How are we getting to the shelter?”

“Well, we could go by yoyo or by night bus.”

“The bus, then.”

“You don’t trust me to not drop you?” Ladybug inquired.

“Oh, I trust you,” Lila shot back, “but I don’t want you to touch me.”

“Fair enough,” Ladybug said resignedly.

The bus showed up a minute later. Lila paid her fare and stepped on, while the bus driver waved Ladybug in without asking for a fare.

“Why are you actually doing this?” Lila asked as Ladybug sat in the seat across the aisle from her.

“Because it’s my duty as a hero,” Ladybug replied.

Lila scoffed. “Don’t give me any of that. First off, you’re no hero. And besides, nobody ever does something if they don’t get anything out of it.”

“I get to feel the feeling that I’ve helped people,” Ladybug explained, “and I get to see the joy on their faces. And that’s more than enough for me. And besides, there’s no harm in doing it. Besides never getting enough sleep, that is.”

“I don’t believe you,” Lila snapped. “But I guess that’s all I’m getting out of you.”

“It’s the truth,” Ladybug insisted. “Just because you can’t imagine feeling empathy doesn’t mean I can’t either.”

“Touché,” Lila said, with a quick roll of her eyes. She thought silently for a moment. “How do you know they need your help, anyway? What if you show up and find out we’ve been wasting our time.”

Ladybug smiled and tapped her ear. “Super hearing.”

Lila laughed. “What, really?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I don’t know why that would surprise you.”

“So you know about all the horrible things I’ve been saying about you under my breath ever since I met you?”

“I don’t need super hearing to know about that,” Ladybug replied with a chuckle. “I just took it as a given. Frankly, even with your skills as a liar I don’t think you’d have been able to convince me otherwise.”

Lila grinned. “Oh, you have no idea what I could convince you of.”

“Well,” Ladybug said, standing up, “here’s our stop.”

Ladybug stepped off the bus into the snow, and walked up to the door of a grim gray building. Lila cautiously followed a few paces behind her.

“Is this the place?” Lila asked.

Ladybug gestured upwards at the large sign above the doorway: Sainte-Chapelle’s Refugee Accomodation and Resource Center. She then stepped up and knocked loudly on the door.

The door creaked open, and a bald man holding a lantern peeked out. “Oh, Ladybug! Merry Christmas! We’re so glad you could be here.” He glanced out at Lila. “Is she with you?”

Ladybug nodded. “This is Volpina. She’s helping me out tonight.”

“Well, come in out of the cold, both of you!” the man said with a smile. He offered his hand to Lila. “Merry Christmas, Volpina, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Lila said flatly, as she reluctantly accepted the handshake.

“So what do you need us to do?” Ladybug asked.

“Well, in the afternoon, we’re hoping to provide all our residents with a Christmas feast. One local cheese shop has donated a platter, and we’ve put together a salad. There are only three of us here right now, and we’re over in the dining room working on preparing turkeys; we’ll be ready to cook them in a couple hours. But we still need hors d’oeuvres and some kind of dessert.”

“Well, the yule log cake would be the appropriate dessert, right?” Ladybug asked.

“Do you know how to make those?” the man inquired, eyebrows raised.

“If you have the ingredients, I can make them. And Volpina can put together the hors d’oeuvres.”

The man nodded. “I’m impressed. I could never make a good one of those, myself.”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of practice,” Ladybug explained. “The kitchen’s this way, Volpina.”

Lila followed Ladybug down the hall and into the large kitchen. “I’d rather you not call me Volpina,” she said quietly as Ladybug began to preheat an oven. “That was what I was called when I was akumatized, and that’s a day I’d rather forget.”

“Well, I can’t exactly use your real name,” Ladybug replied as she sprayed and lined a baking pan. “It’s not quite the same if you’re not anonymous.”

“Yes, but you could still call me something different,” Lila insisted. “I’d rather forget all the horrible things I did.”

“And what better way to forget than by redeeming the name of Volpina through good deeds?” Ladybug asked, plugging in an electric mixer and fitting in a bowl. “Now we need you to make some hors d’oeuvres. Can you cook?”

“I can cook a few things,” Lila replied as she scanned the shelves, “but they don’t have too many ingredients here that I can use.”

“I think I saw a jar of olives last time I was here, somewhere over that shelf. You’re Italian, right? So can’t you make something with olives?”

Lila groaned. “Just because I’m Italian doesn’t mean I always cook with olives.”

“Sorry,” Ladybug said, as she poured cream into the bowl and turned on the mixer. “I didn’t mean to stereotype you there.”

“Forget it. Ooh, here’s a can of sauerkraut! Do you know if they have ham anywhere?”

Ladybug looked over her shoulder. “What could you possibly do with ham and sauerkraut?”

“It’s a recipe my grandfather taught me in Germany. I’ll need ham and onions, and it would be nice to have some mustard too.”

Ladybug stopped the mixer and went over to check the fridge. “You’re in luck, there’s some ham in here. And I think there’s a jar of mustard somewhere on the shelf. But I don’t think there are any onions.”

“Then I’ll be right back,” Lila said, setting the sauerkraut on a counter and pulling on her coat and purse. “I saw a shop across the street when we came in.”

Ladybug stirred sugar and cocoa into the cream and dumped in a few capfuls of vanilla, and watched as the mixture thickened.

Before too long, Lila stepped back into the room. “All right, I got some onions and some beer to bake them in! And they even had butterkäse!”

Ladybug glanced over, surprised. “They sold you beer? You’re definitely not eighteen.”

“I can be very convincing,” Lila said with a smirk. “Anyway, we don’t want the flavor of the onions affecting the cake, so I’ll work at the far end of the counter.”

“Whatever works,” Ladybug answered, moving the bowl into the fridge and searching for another mixing bowl. “Seriously, though, what are you making?”

“They’re these little traditional roll-ups from Oktoberfest. I spent a month with my grandfather in Munich last year, and he taught me how to make them—the onions and sauerkraut go inside the ham and it all gets rolled up, covered in butterkäse, and baked in beer.”

“I’ve never really liked sauerkraut, but that sounds delicious,” Ladybug admitted, switching on the mixer.

Lila preheated an oven and began to strain the sauerkraut. “I still don’t get why we’re helping these people,” she commented as she sprayed water into the colander.

“Sorry?” Ladybug asked. “You’ll have to speak up, I can’t hear you over the mixer.”

Lila set down the colander and walked over to Ladybug, not raising her voice. “I said, I still don’t get why we’re helping these people.”

“What’s the problem? It never hurts to help.”

“It’s just that…well, if you can’t even help yourself out of the gutter, why should others feel obligated to help you?”

Ladybug stopped the mixer and turned to look at Lila. “That statement sounds exactly like it’s coming from somebody who’s never been the one in the gutter.”

“That shows how much you know,” Lila snapped back. “You don’t know what I’ve been through, and it’s frankly none of your business. But let me tell you that nobody’s ever showed up to perform random acts of kindness.”

“And you’d have liked it if somebody had, wouldn’t you?” Ladybug asked.

“I don’t see what difference it would have made.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference to you, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t make a difference to others. But if you aren’t willing to do even this, then you’re in no way cut out to be a hero.”

“Why do you think I want to be a hero at all?” Lila demanded.

“Why did you buy that fox necklace?” Ladybug asked. Clearly not waiting for an answer, she switched the mixer back on, returning to her work.

Lila walked back down the counter and pulled the ham out of the fridge, cutting it into thin slices. “I see your point,” she eventually admitted. “And to be honest, this is pretty fun.”

And two hours later, Ladybug pulled four yule log cakes out of the oven as Lila happily arranged a tray of sauerkraut rolls in front of the bald man.

“Thank you so much, both of you,” the man said excitedly. “I’m sure they’ll love them tomorrow!”

“Of course,” Ladybug replied. “And as always, if you need anything else just let me know.”

And she and Lila walked outside, waiting for the night bus to show up.

“It’s already half past four, so I think this is it for tonight,” Ladybug commented. “We both probably need to get some sleep.”

“I agree,” Lila replied, as the bus rounded the corner. “I’m absolutely exhausted.”

“Well, are you glad you did this?” Ladybug asked.

Lila thought for a moment. “I don’t know.”

The bus stopped and opened its doors. Lila stepped on as the only passenger.

“I’ll be back tomorrow night, okay?” Ladybug asked.

Lila nodded. “All right, Ladybug. I’ll see you then.”

The doors closed, and the bus rumbled off, disappearing behind the falling snow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila and Ladybug deliver gifts down chimneys across Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lilanette Week day 3: Winter.

Lila awoke to the sound of a knock.

“Hang on a minute,” Lila mumbled drowsily, fumbling for the switch on her lamp. The light flickered on and Lila looked up at the glass door. “Oh, it’s you.”

Ladybug looked in quizzically. “You must be tired, then?”

“You could say that,” Lila replied, pulling off the blanket. “What time is it?”

“It’s not quite nine in the evening,” Ladybug answered.

Lila rubbed her eyes. “I guess it’s time to go back to Sainte-Chapelle?”

“Nope. We’ve got a different sort of job tonight. And fortunately, it’s one that’ll allow you to go to sleep a bit earlier.”

“Oh, good,” Lila muttered, grabbing her coat and pulling it on. “Because that was definitely a major problem last time.”

“Agreed.” Ladybug looked over to the box that still sat in the center of the room. “You know, if you tell me your measurements, I could make you a costume that fits.”

“Don’t bother,” Lila replied. “It’s far too cold for that sort of outfit, anyway.”

“I put in a thermal lining in the one I gave you. If it had fit, it would have been fine in the cold.”

“I said, don’t bother.” Lila pulled on a pair of gloves, fastened her mask, and walked out onto the balcony. “Are we taking the night bus again?”

“Not this time,” Ladybug answered. “We’ve got far too many stops to make for that to be efficient.”

It was then that Lila noticed the enormous red sack that Ladybug had slung over her shoulder. “What on earth is that?” Lila demanded.

“This?” Ladybug opened the top of the sack and looked in. “It’s for my Santa Claus routine.”

“Your Santa Claus routine,” Lila repeated slowly. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Ladybug reached into the sack and pulled out a large box, wrapped in red paper with black spots. “This one’s for Helène Bardeau; she asked me for a new blender.” Pulling out two more similarly wrapped boxes, Ladybug continued. “This one here is for Édith Marcelle, who’s out of wiper fluid in her car. And this is for Fred Haprèle: his hat got torn when he was akumatized, and now he needs a new one.”

“You’re running errands for people?” Lila asked incredulously.

“Only for things that they really need and that they can’t easily get for themselves,” Ladybug clarified.

“Yeah, I guess that Fred guy can’t possibly live without a hat,” Lila drawled.

“He’s a mime,” Ladybug explained. “You can’t get any respect as a mime without having a hat. And he can’t afford a new one on his own.”

“And you can?”

“I’ve done several favors for the owner of Le Bon Marché. In return, he’s providing me with all of these.”

“How do you even know they need these things?” Lila asked.

“I told you,” Ladybug answered with a grin. “Super hearing.”

Lila shook her head. “Sorry, not buying it. Yesterday when you were standing by the mixer, you asked me to speak up because you couldn’t hear me.”

Ladybug froze up for a moment. “Okay, you got me there.”

“So then how do you actually know?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I guess that’ll be my secret for now.”

“It’s because of your absolutely illegal spy yoyo, isn’t it?”

“I’m not saying.”

Lila sighed. “So where are we headed?”

Ladybug pointed up into the falling snow. “To the roof. Can you climb?”

Lila stared for a few seconds at the stone walls of the building. She’d always hated how rough and jagged those walls were, but as soon as she thought about climbing them, they suddenly seemed as if they were as smooth as glass. “I don’t think so,” she eventually managed.

Ladybug flung her yoyo into the air, and the end disappeared into the snow. Faintly, Lila could hear the sound of the metal wire wrapping around something, although she had no idea what that might be.

“Absolutely not,” Lila said as she realized what Ladybug was suggesting.

“Come on!” Ladybug insisted. “It’s the quickest way!”

Lila shook her head. “I don’t want you to touch me.”

Ladybug sighed. “It’s either that, or I go up first, throw the yoyo down, and haul you up slowly without being able to see you.”

Lila thought for a moment. “You know what, the first way’s fine.”

“I thought so.” Ladybug gently wrapped her arms around Lila, and retracted the yoyo’s string.

Lila felt herself forcibly jerked upwards, as windows and snowflakes zoomed by her head at a ridiculous speed. It was mere seconds before they arrived at the top of the tall building. As their upward speed slowed, Lila felt herself swinging forward onto the roof.

Ladybug did a flip in midair, and landed cleanly, with the sack landing beside her. Lila crashed unceremoniously into a pile of snow.

“See? Not a problem,” Ladybug said cheerfully.

Lila groaned, sat up, and tried in vain to shake some of the snow out of her hair. “Let’s never do that again, okay?”

“Don’t be such a wimp, Lila,” Ladybug teased.

Lila picked up a snowball and threw it at Ladybug. “Well, excuse me for not having superpowers.”

Ladybug laughed and dodged the snowball, throwing back one of her own. Lila yelped as the snowball narrowly missed her.

“Oh, you’re asking for it, bugaboo,” Lila announced, failing to hide the grin on her face as she flung another snowball.

“You know I have superior reflexes, right?” Ladybug asked, easily sidestepping the snowball only to be hit square in the face with another one.

“Right,” Lila drawled as she watched a flustered Ladybug wiping snow off her face. “Very superior.”

“Well excuse me for noticing an opportunity for good comic timing,” Ladybug tried.

“Please, don’t even bother trying to lie. You aren’t any good at it.”

“I had you fooled on the super hearing for a while, though, didn’t I?”

“Being fooled is not the same as not having any immediate conclusive evidence to the contrary,” Lila began, failing to notice the oncoming snowball.

Ladybug chuckled as she watched Lila brushing the snow off her jacket. “There, now we’re even.”

“That’s not how that works!” Lila complained.

“Well, we’ve got a job to do now, so focus.” Ladybug rifled through the contents of the sack. “We’ve got five gifts to deliver to this building alone.”

“And how are we going to deliver them?” Lila asked.

Ladybug gestured to behind where Lila was standing. Turning around, Lila peered through the falling snow to see dozens of chimneys.

“So we just drop them in?” Lila asked. “That doesn’t seem safe.”

“The boxes are padded, so they can take a fall,” Ladybug explained. “There are just a few that are too fragile to be dropped, so I’ll lower those in with my yoyo.” Ladybug pulled a box out of the bag and tossed it to Lila. “You see that row of chimneys there? Put this one in the fourth one from the left.”

Lila caught the box and walked over to the row of chimneys. Peering down the one in question, she was met with a billow of smoke. “I think there’s a fire in there,” she coughed.

“Hmm, I didn’t anticipate that,” Ladybug mused. “Maybe I could lower it to their balcony?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Lila replied, picking up an armful of snow and dumping it down the chimney.

“Hey, what the hell?” Lila could hear a voice at the bottom of the chimney faintly shouting.

“That’s what you get for blowing smoke into my face!” Lila shouted into the chimney.

There was a brief pause. “Is somebody up there?” the voice shouted.

“Yeah!” Lila shouted back, dropping the box into the chimney. “Here, I’ve got something for you!”

Lila heard the box land, and faintly heard murmuring at the bottom of the chimney. Then a reply: “What the hell is this?”

“And happy holidays to you too!” Lila yelled. “It’s a gift; what does it look like? It seems you need a bit more holiday spirit!”

“And who the hell are you?”

Lila thought for a moment. “I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past and you’ve been a very naughty man!” she shouted before giving up and walking away from the chimney. She glanced across the roof to see Ladybug doubled over laughing.

“That was glorious,” Ladybug cackled. “They must be so confused.”

“Well, they were very rude,” Lila explained.

“You dumped an armful of snow onto the fire they had built,” Ladybug pointed out.

“Well, they shouldn’t have built a fire in the chimney where I needed to drop their gift,” Lila insisted. “They were very ungrateful.”

“Oh, by the way, I just realized that was the wrong chimney. You should have gone to that row of chimneys over there.”

Lila smacked a hand to her face, turned around, and ran back to the chimney where she had dropped the gift. “Hey, I need that back!”

“Go to hell!” came the reply.

Lila turned back to Ladybug. “Sorry, it doesn’t look like we’re getting that one back.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Ladybug said reassuringly. “Anyway, while you were doing all that, I delivered all the rest of the gifts for this building, so let’s go to the next one over.”

Lila followed Ladybug to the edge of the building, which sloped sharply down to a several story drop, with a narrow alley between it and the next building over.

“Do we have to go by yoyo again?” Lila asked.

Ladybug winked. “I’ve got a better idea.” Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a small round sled. “I brought this for this exact purpose.”

Lila looked down at the gap. “You want me to sled down there and jump the gap to the other roof? Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

“Aww, come on!” Ladybug insisted. “It’s easy! I’ve done it a couple times without my powers and I’ve been fine.” She easily leaped across the gap and landed on the far roof. “I’ll be waiting over here!” she called.

Lila tentatively sat on the sled and leaned forward. Immediately, she began to quickly descend down the roof, and seconds later she was flying across the alley, screaming and clinging onto the sled as hard as she could. She landed on the far roof, only to skid past Ladybug and slide right along the edge.

“I think I’m about to fall!” Lila screamed, right before the sled tipped and dropped her over the side.

Lila closed her eyes as she plummeted towards the ground, only to find herself safely suspended in midair, with Ladybug’s yoyo wrapped around her foot.

“Are you all right?” Ladybug called down as she slowly hauled Lila up towards the roof.

“I think so,” Lila replied, looking down at where the sled had landed and broken on the ground below.

“I’m so sorry,” Ladybug said.

“You should be,” Lila snapped back. Half a minute later, she was standing safely on the rooftop.

“I shouldn’t have asked you to try that,” Ladybug admitted.

“You know what, don’t worry about it,” Lila replied. “It was actually pretty fun. And thanks for saving me.”

“Of course. What else would I do? I’m not going to let my friend fall to her death.”

Lila glared at Ladybug. “I shouldn’t have to remind you, we’re not friends.”

Ladybug shrugged. “Well, we certainly don’t seem like enemies.”

Lila stood motionless for a few seconds. “So you just expect me to forgive you for what you said to me when we first met?”

“I’m not demanding that you forgive me. But I think you already have.”

Lila drew a deep breath. “All right.”

Ladybug smiled. “So, even after you almost fell, do you want to keep going with the gifts?”

Lila smiled in return. “Yes, please.”

And the two heroes of the night continued to leap from building to building, delivering comfort and joy along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware that I write a lot of stories where people are underslept. But they say to write what you know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, lies are easier than the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lilanette Week day 6: Family.
> 
> This chapter's quite dark, and I'm sorry.

“It’s been a few days,” Lila commented as Ladybug stepped off the balcony.

Ladybug nodded. “I’m sorry, there’s been a lot going on in my life.”

“Isn’t that always the case?” Lila asked.

“I suppose so. But I had to put my hero life to the side for a few days; things were happening in my normal life.”

“Oh, I see.” Lila paused for a moment. “You know, I never really thought that you might have a normal life.”

Ladybug laughed tentatively. “Well, it’s at least as normal as it can be, considering…well, all of this.”

“What sort of a life do you have?” Lila asked.

“A busy one, for certain.”

Lila looked closely at Ladybug’s face. “You must be about my age, right? Are you a student?”

Ladybug nodded.

Lila leaned in closer. “What’s your name?” she asked.

Ladybug stepped back. “I, um…I don’t think it’s safe for me to say.”

Lila smiled and stepped forward. “Don’t worry. Your secrets are safe with me.”

Ladybug continued to walk backwards. “I’m sorry, but I can’t trust anybody with that. Not even Chat Noir.”

“Come on, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Hawkmoth,” Ladybug replied simply. “If he finds out who I am, then my friends and family are in danger. I can’t let that happen.”

Lila sighed. “I’m going to keep asking, you know.”

Ladybug nodded. “I’m sure you are.”

“Anyway, what’s the plan for tonight?” Lila asked.

“We have exactly one person to see,” Ladybug explained. “And tonight, I’m going to need you more than ever.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“I need you to tell a lie,” Ladybug said softly. “I need it to be as convincing and as versatile as it can possibly be. It’ll make all the difference in the life of one person.”

“What’s the situation?”

“I–” Ladybug stopped mid-breath, and waited a few seconds before continuing. “I think it’s best if you see for yourself.”

Lila fastened her mask. “If you say so. Ready when you are, m’lady.”

And moments later, Lila found herself swinging above the golden-lit streets of Paris, with her arms wrapped tightly around Ladybug’s shoulders, the wind whipping through her hair. She grinned wildly from the thrill.

“Where are we headed?” Lila called out.

“To the Saint-Louis Hospital!” Ladybug replied.

As they swung above the Seine, Lila felt the spray from a passing boat, and a passerby waved at the duo. Lila almost raised her hand to wave back, but upon realizing that would likely entail falling into the cold water below, she instead clung even more tightly to Ladybug’s shoulders.

It was mere minutes before the two alighted on the roof of a large building. Lila gazed over the edge at the ground below. “It’s quite a ways down,” she commented.

“I think you should go alone,” Ladybug declared. “The window’s the second floor from the top, I can lower you with my yoyo.”

Lila glanced over at Ladybug. “Are you sure? I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing here.”

“Just go with—” Ladybug drew a deep breath. “Her name’s Annette Duval. Just talk to her, and I’m sure everything will become clear.”

Lila sighed. “You’d better not let me down on this one.”

“Have I ever?” Ladybug asked. Without waiting for an answer, she gently fastened the yoyo around Lila and carefully lowered her over the edge.

“Is this the window?” Lila asked, squirming and trying to find a place to put her feet.

“Yep, that’s the one!” Ladybug replied. “It should just slide open.”

Lila opened the window and climbed through, untying the yoyo on her way.

Inside the room, an old woman with white hair was lying alone in a bed, covered in a thin blue blanket. An orange lamp shone faintly from the opposite wall, illuminating the bed and the area around it.

“Ah, Volpina!” the woman said in a raspy voice that sounded as if it hadn’t spoken in years. But Lila could hear happiness behind it, too.

“Are you Annette Duval?” Lila asked, stepping forward into the light.

“Yes I am,” the woman replied. “So tell me the news. What happened?”

Lila froze for a second, choosing her words carefully. “You’ll need to be more specific than that,” she eventually tried. “I’ve got a lot of news.”

“About my little boy, Antoine,” Annette said, slowly turning her head upwards.

“Ah, yes, Antoine,” Lila said quickly. “A lovely boy, isn’t he?”

The corners of Annette’s mouth curved into a slight smile. “The best grandson I could have ever asked for.”

“Why don’t you tell me about him?” Lila asked gently.

“Well, where even to begin?” Annette mused. “I always thought he should be a musician. Oh, he loved playing that flute of his, he was such a little Mozart. But he never wanted to let anybody hear him play. I used to sit in the next room over with my ear pressed to the wall.” Annette’s smile widened, and she closed her eyes. “I’ll never forget that duet he played with his first boyfriend. That was the first time I’d seen him that happy. And yet, he wanted to study chemistry instead of music, I can’t imagine why.”

This wasn’t going anywhere. Lila couldn’t figure out what news she was supposed to have.

“And what about recently?” Lila asked.

Annette coughed. “Well, it was last year that he got involved with that bad crowd, from the croquet team. They’re the ones that convinced him to join the army. I told him that he didn’t have it in him to kill, but he insisted.”

“How old was he?”

“Oh, I think he was nineteen then, so he’d be twenty now. But last week was his first deployment. He wrote me a letter before he left, he said he was excited. He didn’t believe anyone when we told him that city was a death trap. He said he could handle anything.”

“And now?” Lila asked, keeping a calm face while frantically trying to put the pieces together in her mind.

“Well, now I need to know what happened. Were you and Ladybug able to get there in time? Is Antoine still alive?”

And it was then that everything clicked in Lila’s mind.

By Lila’s estimate, Annette had no more than three days left to live. Therein lay the reason Ladybug had asked for a lie: she wanted Annette to die happy.

“We got there yesterday morning,” Lila began, weaving together the threads of the story in her mind. “The front lines were holding back outside the city, in a valley. There were shells coming down everywhere, but they had a barricade. The commanders wanted to press forward, but they didn’t have a clear route; the way to the city would have put them in range of the enemy turrets.”

“So what did you do?” Annette asked.

“I was up on the edge of the valley, overlooking the whole scene, and I saw that the enemy was sending several tanks from in front and one from behind. They’d never have seen it coming, and they’d have been trapped with no way out. So I ran down and sounded the alarm. And then Ladybug went after the tank that was coming around behind…and you’ll never believe this, but she took the whole thing down with a single roll of duct tape as her lucky charm.”

Annette smiled again. “Oh, I believe that. So were they able to escape?”

“Well, they now had a clear route out the back of the valley,” Lila continued, talking more and more quickly, “but before they could leave, somebody threw a grenade into the camp. And it was Antoine himself who saw it and hit it as hard as he could with the base of his gun. And it went flying, and when it exploded, it was far enough away that nobody was hurt. He saved the entire camp.”

“Well, I guess those croquet games really did pay off,” Annette commented, smiling even more widely. “So then they were able to escape?”

Lila nodded. “They went out the other end of the valley. And while the enemy was focused on them, another platoon managed to go in and take the city.”

“And Antoine didn’t kill anybody?” Annette asked, her smile suddenly fading.

Lila shook her head. “Even now, he’s got no blood on his hands. His platoon’s been pulled to safety, and he’ll be coming home for good in just two weeks, with a medal of honor as a hero.”

Annette let out a long relieved sigh. “Thank you, Volpina. Of course, I probably won’t make it long enough to see him. But I’m sure he knows that when I go, I’ll always be with him.”

“And he said to pass on a message to you,” Lila added. “He said to thank you for sending us, and that he owes his life to you, and that even if he doesn’t get to see you again, he’ll never forget what you’ve done.”

Annette closed her eyes again. “Well, you tell him to stay strong, and that I’m proud of him for being a fighter without being a killer.” She drew a deep breath, and another, and Lila realized that she was sleeping.

Lila peeked out the window and waved to Ladybug. “Can you let down the yoyo?”

And Ladybug did, and soon she and Lila sat on the rooftop, their legs dangling over the edge.

“What did you tell her?” Ladybug asked quietly.

“She wanted to know about her grandson,” Lila explained. “He was in the army. She wanted to know if he had survived. I told her that he had, and that he was a hero.”

Ladybug nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Lila.”

Lila turned to look directly at Ladybug. “So what actually happened?”

“I think you already know,” Ladybug replied. “His platoon didn’t stand a chance. By the time I got there, none of them were left alive.”

“I’m sorry,” Lila whispered, a tear at the corner of her eye. “I’m not surprised, but I’m sorry.”

“We can’t save them all,” Ladybug calmly stated. “But we can at least save Annette from the grief.”

“He was your cousin,” Lila guessed, “wasn’t he?”

Ladybug nodded. “How did you know?”

“You said you were busy with trouble in your normal life, and you said you went out to the war zone, so the two go hand in hand. He could have been a friend, but a family member would make more sense. And you couldn’t lie to your own grandmother, so you sent me, to tell her that Antoine had survived.”

“I should have been there for him,” Ladybug whispered, as a tear trickled down her cheek. “I could have gotten him out of there before the bombs hit.”

Lila put her arm around Ladybug. “You did the right thing, Ladybug,” she said softly. “You did what you could to save him, and when fortune didn’t favor you, you did what you could to make up for it. Sometimes, things go wrong no matter how hard you try. And even if things could have ended happily, it’s not your fault that they didn’t. You can’t see the future; you can’t know whether you make the right choices.”

Ladybug began to sob. “I have to make the right choices. Because if I don’t make them, who will?”

“The right choices can’t always be made,” Lila whispered. “Not even by a hero.”

The clouds rolled in front of the full moon, and darkness fell across the city.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lilanette Week day 7: New Year's.

The clock struck, and fireworks erupted across the sky.

Marinette rolled over in bed, watching as the colorful shadows cast by the fireworks danced on her wall.

A new year. A fresh start. A whole world of possibilities.

And Marinette noticed the figure silhouetted in her window.

“Hello?” she called out tentatively.

“You weren’t at the New Year’s party,” a voice replied, “so I thought I’d come check on you.”

The window pane swung outwards, and Volpina climbed into the room.

“The costume you made fits perfectly, by the way,” she admitted. “I lied when I said it didn’t. I just couldn’t bring myself to accept a gift from you.”

“What are you talking about?” Marinette asked, her voice wavering.

Volpina sighed. “Do I really have to explain? I checked the census records, and Annette Duval was the mother of Tom Dupain. If she was Ladybug’s grandmother, then that meant that Ladybug is you.”

Marinette got out of bed and shakily walked down the steps to where Volpina stood. “So what are you going to do, now that you know that?” she asked.

Volpina sat down. “You weren’t at the party and you didn’t come to see me. All I’m doing is coming to check whether you’re doing okay.”

Marinette slowly shook her head. “It’s not because of my cousin and grandmother. It’s just too much responsibility. If I have the ability to help people, it’s my duty to do so. But there are far too many people out there who need my help, and if I try to help them all, I’ll end up only making things worse for some of them.”

Volpina sighed. “You don’t have a duty to any of them.”

“Look, you don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly,” Volpina interrupted. “But it’s no more your responsibility than it is that of anyone else. I mean, if I can do it, then anybody can. You don’t have to do it all yourself.”

“But if I don’t do it—”

“Look, that’s not what I’m here to talk about, okay?” Volpina said. “I have something important to say.”

Marinette sat down next to Volpina. “Of course. What is it?”

Volpina drew a deep breath. “For a long time, I thought I hated you. But that was never really true. I was in a new city, and I was lonely and scared, and I needed somebody to project my anger onto. And then you came along.”

“Lila, I swear I’m not holding a grudge against you for what you did,” Marinette interjected.

“That’s not what this is about,” Volpina insisted. “Because after you came to find me when I was alone, and after you took me on all those adventures, and after you showed me how far you’ll go to do a good deed, I realized that you’re actually one of the most kindhearted and caring people I’ve ever met. And I’ve never gone on adventures like these before, but I want us to keep doing that forever.”

“Right, so you’re saying we’re friends now.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that…well, I’ve fallen in love.”

Marinette nodded, then froze in place. “Wait. You mean…with me?”

Volpina slowly nodded in return. “I hope I wasn’t too forward.”

“Oh, um…well, you were certainly very forward,” Marinette replied. “That certainly changes things.”

“And I know that you love Adrien, but…if you change your mind, I’m here.”

Marinette opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

After a few seconds, Volpina broke the silence. “I brought a firework, by the way. I figured it would be a good way to celebrate the new year.”

“Is it even legal for you to have that?” Marinette asked, wide-eyed.

Volpina shrugged. “Relax, it’s all in the spirit of adventure.”

And a few minutes later, Marinette and Volpina stood side by side on the balcony as they launched the firework in the sky and it burst in a cloud of red.

“I figured it out, by the way,” Volpina commented. “How you find people who need your help. They write to you by submitting to the Ladyblog.”

Marinette smiled. “Yep, you got it. It’s not the only thing Alya’s blog has done for me, but it’s certainly the best.”

“So I covered for you on the night shift over the past few days,” Volpina continued. “Because it doesn’t require superpowers at all.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to see that,” Marinette admitted. “When I came to you on Christmas, I thought it was a long shot, and that you wouldn’t care at all about the experiences of others.”

“I thought so too,” Volpina replied. “But I guess you helped me to see things differently.”

Marinette grinned. “I really do like you, you know.”

“Enough to join me for dinner on Tuesday evening?” Volpina asked.

Marinette winked. “We’ll have to see. I might be busy that evening.”

Volpina leaned toward Marinette and raised one eyebrow. “I’m free every evening this week. You’re not getting out of this with an excuse.”

“All right, then,” Marinette said, still smiling.

Volpina placed her hand on Marinette’s shoulder and looked out at the city. Boats glided past on the Seine, airplanes flew overhead, and the lights in windows turned on and off. Even in the night, the City of Light shone brightly.

“There are so many people out there,” Marinette observed. “And even right now some of them are going to be waiting for us.”

“Well then,” Volpina said with a wink, “let’s not let them down.”


End file.
